Electeio signaling device



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' J. J. ROSS.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING DEVICE. No. 486,569. Patented Nov. 22, 1892...

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2'. J. J ROSS. ELEGTRIG' SIGNALING DEVICE.

Patented Nov. 22, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC JAMES J. ROSS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE R. HOLDEN, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,569, dated November 22, 1892.

Application filed December 29, 1891- Serial No. 416,473. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES J. Ross, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Alarms or Sign alingDevices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in electric alarms or signaling devices, and has special reference to that class of inventions which are particularly designed for use in sounding alarms or for signaling purposes at street-railway crossings; but of course the invention is adapted to be used for various purposes and wherever required for the purpose of actuating alarm bells or signals by electrical means.

The main object of the invention is to provide an automatic electric alarm or signaling apparatus by which the moving train or car on steam or street railways may be utilized for the purpose of opening and closing the electric circuit in which the alarm bell or signal is placed, the apparatus being so constructed that when the alarm-circuit is once closed it will remain closed and cause a continuous uninterrupted ringing of the alarmbell until the circuit is again opened by the action of the train or car.

A further object is to simplify the construc- 3 5 tion and improve the efficiency of apparatus of this character and to provide appliances which shall be positive and certain in action and not liable to get out of order.

The invention will first be described in connection with the accompanying drawings and then pointed out in the claims at the end of this description.

Referring particularly to the drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which like letters of reference are used to designate like parts of the apparatus, Figure 1 is a diagrammatical representation of a complete apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan of a relay with double local the usual number of binding-posts, two of which are placed in the circuit of the electromagnet and two in that of the local battery in the usual manner.

B denotes the usual armature of soft iron; attached to the insulated armature-lever B.

C 0 denote two additional binding-posts (shown clearly in Fig. 2) for the wires of a second local or alarm circuit c, in which is placed the electric bell C, said second local circuit being adapted to be automatically 7o closed through the local batteryD when electric connection is established through the usual local battery-circuit indicated by the dotted lines 6 e. r

c o are spring-contacts, which may be attached to an insulated frame-piece of the relay or secured to the instrument in any proper manner; but I preferably secure them to insulating-blocks c c", which may be fixed upon suitable standards I) I), mounted upon the base-plate of the instrument. The free ends of the spring contacts or brushes 0 c preferably overlap each other and are slightly separated, so that the circuit will be kept normally open. 8 5

c 0 denote the wires of the second local circuit connecting the contacts 0 c with the binding-posts O O. The upper free end of the armature-lever B bears upon the free end of thecontact-spring c, (beingsuitablyinsulated o therefrom,) so that when the armature moves inward under the influence of the magnet the contact-point c of the spring 6' will touch the contact-springand close the second local 4 or alarm circuit 0, and thereby actuate the 5 hell or signal C. The electric bell G maybe of any desired construction; butI preferably use a continuously-acting bellof the construction shown and described in my application of even date herewith, Serial No. 416,474, in which the armature-lever which carries the bell -hammer is acted upon alternately by I electro-magnets placed on opposite sides of the lever-and adapted to act alternately upon the armature when energized by a current which passes directly through the armature and spring-contacts, which latter also aid in effecting the return stroke of the hammer.

(l 01 indicate the main-circuit wires. and the dotted lines 6 6 represent the wires of the usual local circuit of an ordinary relay. D is the usual local battery.

E denotes an automatic switch or circuit breaker, which is placed in the local circuit and adapted to be actuated by the moving train or car for the purpose of opening 'said circuit, the circuit being normally closed at. this point. The circuit-breaker E may be of the usual or any preferred construction; but I preferably use a make-and-break device of the character hereinafter described.

F denotes a switch or circuit closer, which is placed in the main circuit and adapted to be actuated by the moving train or car for the purpose of closing said circuit. This circhit-closer may consist of any suitable mechanism adapted to close the circuit when the the train is moving in one direction only and which will not affect the circuit when the train is travelingin the opposite direction. A preferred form of mechanism for this purpose is shown on an enlarged scalein Sheet 2 of the drawings.

Referring particularly to Figs. & and 5, G G denote bell-crank levers, which are preferably journaled in suitablebearings in abox or casing H, attached to the rails of the track by means of angle-irons h, which may be clamped to the base-flanges of the T- rail I, as shown, or in any proper manner, the box H being supported upon and secured to the extended portions of the angle -irons by means of bolts passing through perforations or elongated slots in the angle-bars, so as to adapt the box to be properly adjusted with relation to the rails I in placing the apparatns in position upon the track. By thus supporting the boxes H the operating-arms g g of the bell-crank levers may be adjusted and retained in proper position with relation to the rail I to be depressed by the car-wheel without being affected by any irregularities in the road-bed orsagging of the track caused by the weight of the passing train, thus compensating for any unusual conditions caused by heavy freight-trains, 6:0. The depending crank portions 9 g of the levers G G may extend transversely of the box H near the bottom thereof, and they are embraced by the lower forked ends of oscillating levers K K, which may be pivoted to a cross-piece'i within the box H.

k k denote spring contacts which may be rigidly secured to the leverK concentric with the pivotal center thereof or they may be formed integral therewith, the lever K and spring-contacts being suitably insulated from the adjacent metallic connections to provide a passage for the electric current through said springs when the circuit is closed thereby. These springs may be made of brass or any other suitable spring material which isa good conductor of electricity, and are rigidly connected with the lever K, so as to form a continuation thereof. The free ends of the contact-springs are adapted to slide in contact with the inner faces of the parallel bars L L, to which are secured contact slips or plates 1 Z, which connect with the bindingposts M M, to which are attached the wires d d of the main circuit. By this means it will be seen that when the contact springs k 7.2 are in contact with the slips Z Z the main circuit will be closed through the wires of the apparatus connecting with the binding-posts M M, so that by rockingthe lever K upon its pivot the main circuit may be automatically closed for the purpose of actuating the signal or alarm placed in the local circuit, the circuit being held normally open and adapted to be closed by depressing the operating-arm g of the lever G.

1& denotes a longitudinallysliding rod or plunger, which is pivoted atone end (preferably by means of a slot-and-bolt connection, as shown) to the free end of the lever K and is supported in bearings oropenings in short standards 1" i, fixed upon the cross-piece 2'.

k denotes a conical enlargement or wedge fixed upon or formed integrally with the plunger k for a purpose to be described. When the arm 9 of the bell-crank lever G is depressed before the car-wheel depresses the arm 9 of the bell-crank lever G, the lever K will be rocked upon its pivot and the upper ends of contact-springs 70 will be thrown into engagement with the contact pieces or slips Z Z, thereby closing the main circuit, and when the arm g is released the circuit will be opened by the action of the spring N, which tends to restore the bell-crank to its normal position.

To adapt the circuit-closer to operate when the train is passing in one direction only, (as in the case where asingle track is used,) the bell-crank lever G is provided with a footplate or extension 9 which projects beyond the end of the operating-arm g about half the length of the arm, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, so that when the extension g is depressed before the car-wheel depresses the arm g the wedge. it will be advanced by the rocking lever K and will engage the spring 70 and throw it away from the face of the bar L, so that when the lever K is rocked by depressing the arm g the spring It will be thrown into the position indicated by the dotted lines Z in Fig. 6, in which position of the spring the circuit will remain open.

Immediately afterthe car-wheel passes over the arms g g g the main circuit. will be broken by the action of the stout coiled or other suitable spring or springs N, which are adapted to force the bell-crank levers to their normal positions. The springs N may be mounted upon screw-rods 'n, fixed within the box H, and provided with adjusting-nuts n, by which the tension of the springs may be regulated, the springs being adapted to force the lower swinging portions 9 g of the bellcrank levers inward, so as to elevate the operating-arms g g and open the circuit when the train or car has passed. I preferably employ stout springs, which will exert sufficient force to retain the circuit open under all ordinary conditions and will resist the pressure exerted by the weight of an ordinary handcar or light vehicle, so that the circuit will be closed only on the passage of an ordinary train. The tension of the springs may be varied, however, to cause the circuit to be closed under any desired weight or pressure.

The operation of the apparatus as an entirety is as follows: Supposing a train to be passing in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4, the operating-arm 9 will be depressed by the tread of the car-wheel and the oscillating lever K will be rocked upon its pivot and throw the free ends of the contactsprings 70 into contact with the slips or plates Z Z, thereby closing the main circuit. It now it be supposed that the train be traveling in the opposite direction, the tread of the wheel will engage the extension g of the arm g, thereby .depressing said arm before the wheel comes in contact with the arm g, which will result in rocking the lever K upon its pivot, and thus causing the conical enlargement or wedge 76' to come in contact with the spring is and move said spring laterally away from the bar L, as indicated by the dotted lines Z in Fig. 6, so that when the bell-crank G is operated the spring will be thrown forward without making contact with the plate Z. When the main circuit is closed, the electro-magnets of the relay will be energized and attract the armature B, thus closing the local circuit through the contract-points 19 5 Fig. 3, in the usual manner. This movement of the armature will also close and lock the alarm or bell circuit 0 by throwing the spring 0 into contact with the spring 0 as indicated in Fig. 2, and so long as the local circuit c remains closed the bell-circuit will be closed and locked by the armature-lever, so that a continuous ringing of the bell will be effected. As the train continues to move in the direction of the arrow, the tread of the wheel will break the circuit at E, and the armature-lever B will be made to resume its normal position by the action of the usual spring for this purpose, thus releas ing the contact-spring c c and unlocking the bell-circuit. The main circuit at F is held normally broken or open by the springs N, so that when the train has passed this point the main circuit will be broken, and the breaking of the local circuit at E will throw the apparatus out of operation and stop the ringing of the bell. The circuit-breaker E may be an exact counterpart of the circuit-closer F, except that the crank-lever G and its connections will be omitted and the spring N will be arranged to hold the circuit normally closed the manner represented in full lines in Fig.

6, and on being released the spring will re sume its original shape. The operating-arms g and foot-plate or extension g of the bellcrank levers G G are bent or rounded, as shown, to prevent sudden shocks or breakage of the parts when the car-wheel first engages the arm.

It will be understood, of course, that I do not desire to be limited to the exact construction and arrangement of parts shown and described herein, as various modifications may be made, which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without in volving a departure from the spirit of my invention. It will also be understood that the apparatus is capable of being used for various purposes, although particularly adapted for use in actuating electric bells located at railway street-crossings, and the circuit-closer may be used in a varietyof situations for the purpose of actuating signals or electric bells or alarms in various situations, and hence I do not desire to be confined in the application of the invention to electric alarms or signals for railways. It is also apparent that the circuit-closing lever G and connections K Z0 70 N maybe used independently of the auxiliary lever G and its connections K 10 10 when it is not desired to use the apparatus in a position where both levers will be required.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. An electrical alarm or signaling apparatus comprising the normally-open alarm circuit having an electric bell or alarm placed therein, the relay, with normally-open main and local circuits independent of but controlling said alarm-circuit, the open contactpoints of the alarm-circuit being arranged in relation to the armature-lever of the relay, so as to be closed thereby when the local circuit is closed and locked until released by the breaking of the local circuit, a main-circuit closer, a local-circuit breaker, and a common generator for the several circuits, all arranged and adapted to operate substantially as described.

2. In combination with the relay provided with the usual main and local circuits, the train-actuated circuit-closer placed in the main circuit, the train actuated circuitbreaker placed in the local circuit, the independent normally-open alarm-circuit adapted to be closed and locked when said local circuit is closed, the bell or signal placed in said alarm-circuit, and a common generator for the several circuits, substantially as described.

3. In combination with therelay provided with the usual main and local circuits, the

local-circuit breaker, the maiu-circuit closer, the second normally-open local alarm-circuit, the contact-springs, and the armature-lever adapted to close the alarm-circuit through said springs when said lever is actuatedby the closing of the main circuit, substantially as described.

4. In an electrical alarm or signaling apparatus, the circuit-closer or switch comprising the rocking bell-crank lever, the oscillating lever engaging said bell-crank, the contact-springs carried by said oscillating lever, the parallel bars between which said oscillating lever works, the contact-slips secured to the inner faces of said bars, and the spring adapted to hold said oscillating lever and bell-crank in normal position, substantially as described.

5. The circuit-closer comprising the rocking bell-crank levers, the oscillating levers, the contact-springs fixed to one of said oscillating levers, the sliding rod and wedge connected to the other oscillating lever, the contact-plates, the stop-plate or guard, and the springs for holding said levers in their normal positions with the circuit broken, substantially as described.

6. The combination, in an electrical bellringing apparatus, of the circuit-closing mechanism comprising a pair of bell-crank levers, oscillating levers connected therewith, contact devices carried by one of said oscillating levers, and means controlled by the other oscillating lever, whereby a. moving train will close the circuit when the train is passing in one direction only, substantiall y as described.

7. In combination with the circuit-closing mechanism or switch and the track, the box or casing inclosing said switch, and the angle-irons clamped to the track-rail and provided with lateral extensions having said box adjustably supported thereon, whereby the circuit-closing mechanism may be supported in operative position, so as to be actuated by the car-wheel without being atfected byirrcgularities in the road-bed or sagging of the track, substantially as described.

8. In combination with therelay provided with the usual electro-magnet, armature-lever, and main and local circuits, the second local circuit comprising the circuit-wires, the binding-posts, the standards, the insulatingblocks, the spring contact-plates secured to said blocks, the electric bell placed in said second circuit, and means, substantially as 0 described, for automatically opening and closing the. several circuits, as set forth.

In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES J. ROSS.

Witnesses:

J. L. LANE, GEO. L. NADoLLEcK. 

